The course examines the historical roots of issues and conflicts in the Middle East and discusses how events from the Ottoman Empire and World War I into the present inform modern beliefs and actions. Many of today’s disputed borders in the Middle East were created during World War I. Appreciation of the actions from 1916-18 and their enduring impact on the present-day situation in the Middle East lead to an understanding of today’s issues.
Below you will see the part, the topics covered in that part (or planned to be covered), the slides, and prior presentations I have given and available on YouTube that are related to the topics.
Immediately below is the paper I wrote to sum all of this up.
Below you will see the part, the topics covered in that part (or planned to be covered), the slides, and prior presentations I have given and available on YouTube that are related to the topics.
Immediately below is the paper I wrote to sum all of this up.
The Middle East - America's Hotel California
| middle_east_-_americas_hotel_california.pdf |
For those wanting the original performance and lyrics in context.
Part 1 (originally held on 17 January 2024)
Topics include the following:
- T.E. Lawrence
- John Bagot Glubb
- Where is the Middle East?
- Who are Arabs and Muslims?
- Islam
- Why is the U.S. in the Middle East?
- The Great Game
- The Ottoman Empire
- The Safavid Empire
- Mohamed ibn abd al-Wahab
| 240117_umkc_spark_-_middle_east-past_is_prologue__1_.pdf |
Part 2 (originally held on 24 January 2024)
Topics include the following:
- World War I
- World War I to 9/11 - Braided Chains
- Dissolution of the Ottoman Empire
- Mandates
- Muslim Brotherhood
- Problems in Palestine
| 240124_umkc_spark_-_middle_east-past_is_prologue__2_.pdf |
Part 3 (originally held on 31 January 2024)
Topics include the following:
- 1939 White Paper
- World War II in the Middle East
- The Final Solution
- The State Solution
- The 1948 War and al-Nakba
- Twin Pillars Policy
- 1967 War
- 1973 War and the Camp David Accords
| 240131_umkc_spark_-_middle_east-past_is_prologue__3_.pdf |
Part 4 (originally held on 7 February 2024)
Topics include the following:
- Sayyid Qutb
- Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)
- 1979
- Islamic Revolution in Iran
- Egyptian-Israeli Peace Deal
- Soviet-Afghanistan Incursion
- Abdullah Azzam
- Osama bin Laden
- Hezbollah
- Intifada
- Hamas
| 240207_umkc_spark_-_middle_east-past_is_prologue__4_.pdf |
Part 5 (originally held on 14 February 2024)
Topics include the following:
- U.S. Policy in the Middle East
- Operation Desert Storm
- al-Qaeda’s Declaration of War
- al-Qaeda’s War against America
- 9/11
- Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan
- Operation Iraqi Freedom
| 240214_umkc_spark_-_middle_east-past_is_prologue__5_.pdf |
Part 6 (originally held on 21 February 2024)
Topics include the following:
- 2006 Lebanon War
- Mowing the Grass
- Arab Spring
- The Abraham Accords
- ISIS and the Islamic Revolution
- The Axis of Resistance
- The Management of Savagery
- Books to Read
| 240221_umkc_spark_-_middle_east-past_is_prologue__6_.pdf |